A series of tax increases and spending cuts are due to take effect at the end of 2012 and early 2013. Budget austerity in the midst of a fragile economic recovery has led economists to warn of a double-dip recession in 2013 if Washington fails to intervene. Read the Backgrounder »

Mali

There is still no political settlement in Mali between the military junta that overthrew the constitutional government and an interim civilian government supported by the Economic Community of West African States. Read more on Africa in Transition »

The country's flailing economy and the decades-long insurgency in the north set the stage for President Touré's fall. Mali risks foreign intervention if it does not address average Malians' economic woes and quell the insurgency. Read the Snapshot on Foreign Affairs »

To leave behind a stable government in 2014, Washington needs to push harder for electoral reforms, negotiations with the Taliban, and a regional settlement involving Pakistan. Read more from Foreign Affairs »